Tuition for cadets is fully funded by the Army in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation.

Approximately 1,300 cadets enter the Academy each July, with about 1,000 cadets graduating.

Since 1959, cadets have also been eligible to "cross-commission," or request a commission in one of the other armed services, provided that they meet that service eligibility standards. The academy's traditions have influenced other institutions because of its age and unique mission.

It was the first American college to have an accredited civil-engineering program and the first to have class rings, and its technical curriculum was a model for later engineering schools.

Most graduates are commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army.

Foreign cadets are commissioned into the armies of their home countries.

West Point's student body has a unique rank structure and lexicon.

Thayer instilled strict disciplinary standards, set a standard course of academic study, and emphasized honorable conduct.Known as the "Father of the Military Academy," he is honored with a monument on campus for the profound impact he had upon the academy.Founded as a school of engineering, for the first half of the 19th century, USMA produced graduates who gained recognition for engineering the bulk of the nation's initial railway lines, bridges, harbors and roads. The majority of the campus's Norman-style buildings are constructed from gray and black granite. The entire central campus is a national landmark and home to scores of historic sites, buildings, and monuments.